


in contempt of court

by ourdarkspirits



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Muggle, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 14:29:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4670093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourdarkspirits/pseuds/ourdarkspirits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James and Lily are on opposite sides of the same case.  Lily makes inaccurate assumptions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in contempt of court

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to redbells for the title. (Or blame)

Lily Evans was in a hurry.  Her client, a man Mary had sent her way, was going to trial today and she couldn't afford to make any mistakes.  

Riddle, Inc had accused the man of embezzling from his company.   All the evidence made a neat little case against her client. Too neat, in fact. She had no doubt he was innocent and absolutely intended to get the man off.

She neatened the pile of of documents and evidence sitting on her kitchen table and stuffed them rather unceremoniously into her briefcase before closing it up and carrying it out the door.

Lily walked into the courtroom later than she would have liked but she still had plenty of time to prepare herself. Her client, Reginald Cattermole, was already there looking nervous. His employer, Tom Riddle was known to be a ruthless man, used to getting what he wanted. They both knew this case wouldn't be easy, but she’d be damned if she let Riddle get away with pushing people around if she had anything to say about it.

She was organizing her evidence, making sure it was in the order she planned to present it, when the lawyer for the prosecution walked in.  He was a tall bloke with glasses and surprisingly messy dark hair given the situation.  If she wasn't determined to hate him on principle she'd have been a bit more willing to admit to herself how fit he was.

She flipped through her paperwork trying to find his name, which she was sure she had read more than a dozen times and now couldn't remember.  Finally she found it.  James Potter.  Probably some trust fund type, who’d gotten into the legal department at Riddle's business because his father had connections.  She hated him already.

***

James Potter had no desire to represent his client.  His client knew that.  James also knew that if he looked like he was trying to lose this case he'd be in for no small amount of trouble.

He walked into the courtroom with every intention of doing the absolute bare minimum on this case.  The first part of his plan involved barely making it to the court on time.  He didn't count on the possibility of being distracted by the very pretty lawyer for the defense.

According to his files her name was Lily Evans.  She had dark red hair and startlingly green eyes.  And she looked like she absolutely detested him.  Good. They were on the same side even if she didn't know it.

***

As the trial proceeded it occurred to both James and Lily that they were going to get what they wanted.  

James discovered that she was a fantastic lawyer, better than him, and he was good. Lily Evans didn't know it but she was making his life a hell of a lot easier.  He would lose this case and it wouldn't even look like he'd thrown it. It might get Riddle off his back for awhile.

As the trial continued, James knew he had to get to know Lily Evans.  She was brilliant and she was gorgeous and if he wasn't mistaken, she had a sense of humor as well.

Lily was confident.  She had facts, hard evidence that her client had been set up to take the fall for someone else in Riddle's company.  She presented her case logically and convincingly.  Not only was she aware of how well she was doing but so were the judge and jury.  She would win this case.

James Potter seemed to know she would win as well.  More intriguingly, James Potter didn't seem to mind at all.  She wouldn't think too much on that.  She was, after all, a professional.  She might discuss it later with Mary when they went out to celebrate or commiserate (as Mary had put it earlier when she'd coerced Lily into going out).

She didn't count on James Potter accosting her as she left to courtroom, texting Mary to let her know they'd definitely be celebrating.

"Ms. Evans," James Potter said, slightly out of breath.  

It was clear he had hurried to catch her before she left.  He looked even more disheveled and it was a distractingly good look on him.

Lily refused to look at him.  "Yes?"

"I just wanted to say you were brilliant back there," he rushed.  She still wasn't looking at him and she gave off an air of being in a great hurry to get out of the building.

"Thanks," she muttered, a little flustered now but trying to disguise it as distraction.  Why was he complimenting her?

"I was wondering," James plowed on, "if you wanted to get drinks with me sometime."

Drinks?  He couldn't possibly want to go out with the woman who'd just won against him in court.  Rather than voicing this, she responded, "I'm not in the habit of going out with corporate lawyers who work for the likes of Tom Riddle."

Lily walked away but James was still following her.  He was damned persistent.

"What?" She demanded.

"I don't work for him," James protested.  

Lily raised an eyebrow, "Don't you?"

Right. He'd just finished defending Riddle, Inc. "No, I don't.  I just got in a spot of trouble.   Couldn't get out of this case."

Lily was inclined to believe him, yet she was too stubborn to say so. Too stubborn to admit that her first impression of him might be wrong.  

She hummed and said, "You were forced to take on a client who no doubt pays very well."

He could hear the disbelief saturating her voice but before James had a chance to defend himself, Lily was gone.  

"Damn," he muttered.

***

Lily walked into the bar in a close fitting green dress Mary had talked her into buying a while back.  She had left her dark red hair down and only lightly applied makeup.  She was absolutely stunning.

Mary, a blonde woman, slightly shorter than Lily, waved her over as soon as she saw Lily in the evening crowd.

"So you slaughtered them, huh?" Mary had a slight Scottish accent.  It had disappeared bit by bit since Lily had met Mary at uni. It would reappear as the night wore on.

"Course I did," Lily responded with a confidence she hadn't quite felt until the trial had begun.

Mary MacDonald was Lily's partner in law and best friend since starting uni where they had been assigned as roommates.  They were close and Lily had spent hols with Mary after her parents died.  They were with each other in their successes and failures.

"Course you did, she says," Mary retorted. "Yeah yeah. You're a bloody brilliant lawyer."

Lily smiled, then remembered the lawyer for the prosecution. "It was weird though. The prosecuting lawyer seemed happy I'd won."

"Remind who that was again," Mary replied absently as the bartender passed her her martini.

"James Potter," Lily answered, wondering what Mary knew about him.

Mary almost spit out her drink.  "James Potter was defending Tom Riddle?" she spluttered.

"Do you know him?" Lily asked curiously.

"Know him? I basically grew up with him," Mary clarified.

"You never mentioned him," Lily accused.

"Didn't I?" Mary's voice sounded a little too innocent to Lily.

Lily just raised her eyebrows at Mary incredulously.  Mary knew she didn't believe her.

"We went to the same school.  His parents and mine were friends," Mary explained. "I actually considered setting you up with him, but I know how much you loathe blind dates."

"Especially when they work for slimy corporate types like Tom Riddle," Lily snorted.

"No. No, he doesn't work for Riddle.  I was genuinely surprised to know he was the prosecuting lawyer.  He's a lot like you actually in that he defends the little guy," Mary explained.

"He asked me out," Lily mused, taking a sip from her cocktail.

"Lily!" Mary whacked her shoulder. "What'd you say?  Don't tell me you turned him down!"

"Ok," Lily answered, amusement lacing her voice.

"Oh my god.  You did," Mary moaned.

***

"I lost the case," James announced as soon as Sirius picked up the phone.

"Celebratory drinks?" Sirius asked a from spreading across his face.

"Hell, yes.  I’ll see you in a few," James answered before hanging up.

Sirius Black, James's brother in all but blood and partner in law, knew how much James had hated to take the Riddle case.  The best they had been able to come up with was a lackluster performance in the courtroom and a slim hope that the defense attorney would be better than James. He knew that James was thrilled to be out of that little snarl.  He would wring the details out of James when he saw him later.

James was buoyant when he opened the door to the flat he shared with Sirius.

"Are Remus and Pete coming?" He asked.

"Remus is but Pete is busy," Sirius responded.

"Shame that. Give me a minute and I'll be ready to go," James tossed back.

James didn't take long and soon they were walking out the door.  Sirius refrained from asking about the trial, affecting an air of casual boredom about everything.

"She was incredible Sirius," James announced suddenly.

"Who was?" Sirius asked feeling a little bit like he had come into the middle of the conversation.  

"The defending lawyer," James clarified.  "She was bloody brilliant.  Honestly better than me. I didn't have to try to lose."

"Yeah?" Sirius prodded, knowing James would tell him all about it.  It was easy to tell the woman from the trial had left an impression.   James almost seemed smitten.

"Yeah. I asked her out after the trial." James no longer sounded quite so enthusiastic.

"She said no," Sirius guessed.

James nodded glumly but Sirius wasn't able to press farther because they had come up to the bar and they saw Remus loitering outside the entrance.

"It's not everyday we celebrate losing a trial," James joked as the other two approached.

They greeted Remus eagerly and entered the bar joking and laughing when suddenly James went quiet.

"What's going on, mate?" Remus inquired, concern written on his face.

"That's her," James answered. Remus looked at Sirius questioningly and he mouthed _the defense attorney._

Remus nodded, not sure that cleared anything up, when Sirius interjected, "Isn't that Mary MacDonald?"

James started focusing on the woman sitting next to Lily Evans. His face cleared and he nodded. Before Remus and Sirius could react James was walking over to the bar.  Remus and Sirius quickly followed.

"Mary!" James exclaimed. "It has been too long."

Lily was left feeling slightly confused when Mary greeted him eagerly, sure James had been coming to see her.  Before she could dwell however, she was joined by two more men.

The taller of the two introduced himself as Sirius Black.  "You must be Lily Evans," he added with a grin.

To say Lily was confused was an understatement but she tried to hide it. "I am."

"James was just talking about you and his trial this morning," Sirius clarified.

Lily nodded and the other man, slightly shorter than Sirius, took the opportunity just then to introduce himself as Remus Lupin.

"Parents have a thing for wolves?" Lily asked with a grin.  

Remus smiled. "They must have."

Lily decided then that she liked Remus and was determined to get to know him and ignore the extremely fit bloke chatting with her best friend.  Sirius, more interested in Lily than James at the moment, joined their conversation.  

After a few minutes of casually chatting at the bar, Sirius suggested to the group at large that they should grab a table and get to know each other.  The idea was met with enthusiasm and soon Lily found herself in a booth pressed up against James Potter, the man she had been determined to hate that morning.

Except now she wasn't so sure she had been right about him at all, except maybe the trust fund part.  He did have an air of someone who was used to living comfortably.  But he was funny and smart and really, really fit.  And he didn't work for Tom Riddle.  

"Ok," Mary started, once they were all settled, "I want to know how the case went."

Lily and James started talking at the same time. They stopped and James made a please go on gesture.  Lily laughed and then started at the beginning. "Well I knew I would win as soon as this incredibly arrogant bloke walked in."

James spluttered, "I'm sure you mean exceedingly handsome."

"Mr. Potter," Lily said sweetly, "If you're letting me tell the story, let me tell the story."

Remus and Sirius burst into laughter and Lily turned her bright smile on them.  When they had stopped she finished sharing the details with Mary and the others.

The rest of the night was full of laughter fueled by alcohol.  Sirius and James, loud and ridiculous, Remus quiet.  But she quickly learned not to be taken in by that quiet demeanor.  It disguised a razor sharp sense of humor in line with that of James and Sirius. She and Mary kept up with them easily.

They stayed until the bar started closing, joking and sharing stories.  It had been surprisingly easy with James and she found herself wishing more and more that she hadn't turned him down earlier.  

While they were waiting on the curb for a cab Lily positioned herself near James.

"This was fun," she said bumping into him.

"It was," he bumped her back with a grin on his face.

"Ask me again," she said.  After their shared celebration, she felt sure dating James was an excellent idea.

James seemed to be struggling to catch her line of thinking. "Ask what again?"

"Ask me out," she leaned her shoulder against his.  With anyone else, in any other situation she wouldn't have felt so confident, but she knew he was still interested.  And they had been easy in each other's personal space all night.

James face cleared and he asked, "Do you want to go out with me sometime?"

"Yeah," Lily beamed. "Give me your phone."

He handed it over and she opened up his contacts and put her name and number in.  She handed his phone back to him.

"Make sure you use it,"she warned him as she stepped over to the cab that just approached.

Her phone buzzed almost as soon as she fastened the seat belt. She pulled it out and smiled.

_Busy tomorrow?_

 


End file.
